History

The town was founded by Spanish colonists in 1816 as Trujillo Bajo ("lower Trujillo"), along with its counterpart
Trujillo Alto after
Trujillo, Spain. In 1857 it was renamed to San Fernando de la Carolina, later shortened to Carolina, after
Charles II of Spain.[1]

The city is known as Tierra de Gigantes (Land of Giants), not only for well-known Carolina resident
Don Felipe Birriel González (who was 7'11"), but also in honor of other people from Carolina, including
poetJulia de Burgos and most notably the first Latin American player named to
baseball's Hall of Fame,
Roberto Clemente. Carolina was also home to
Jesús T. Piñero, the first Puerto Rican to be appointed as
governor by the
United States government.
The city is also known as "El Pueblo de los Tumba Brazos" (The Arm Hackers Town). During the late 1800s, the town's major export was sugar cane. Sugar cane workers solved their issues by fighting with their machetes, and therefore many lost their arms. (needs reference)

Cityscape

Barrios

Tourism

Carolina is one of Puerto Rico's most important tourist centers.
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the territory's main airport, is located in
Isla Verde. Also located in Carolina are a large group of hotels, which sit by Carolina's large beach area.

There are several well-known hotels on the coast of Carolina (Isla Verde area), including the El San Juan Resort and Casino,
InterContinental San Juan Hotel and the
Ritz-Carlton San Juan Hotel, Spa, and Casino.

All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a
mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Carolina is
José Aponte Dalmau, of the
Popular Democratic Party (PPD). He was elected in 2007, after a special election, succeeding his late father,
José Aponte de la Torre. Aponte de la Torre was elected mayor in 1984 and served for 23 years.

The Carolina Police Department, with most of its precincts in the northern half of the city due to the density of the population, handle law enforcement responsibilities.
Puerto Rico Police Department also has jurisdiction in Carolina, especially for
narcotics enforcement, with four precincts positioned on all four points of the city.

Carolina created the first municipal fire department in Puerto Rico. The Carolina Fire Department in collaboration with the Carolina Municipal Emergency Management use two engine trucks, one ladder track and one special hazard engine truck. Their headquarters are located in the tourist district of Isla Verde. Also, the
Puerto Rico Fire Department have a fire station and regional office in town, located on the Roberto Clemente Avenue.

Symbols

Flag

The flag consists of three vertical bands, the laterals white and the middle red. The laterals are seeded with black ermine tails in the
heraldic way as for the
coat of arms. The middle band of the flag shows a red field with the sword and crown of the coat of arms.

The crown over the sword is the main attribute for royalty and for that reason it occupies a privileged position in the Coat of Arms. The sword is not only a symbol for military service, but also one of justice, recalling the virtues of
San Fernando. The Coat of Arms has a wide edge of silver, a cultivated field of small tails of ermine shown in the conventional heraldic manner. The red symbolizes the first patriotic developments made for Puerto Rico's freedom under Spanish dominion.